This week seems like a roller coaster when it comes to the stock market.


What You Need To Know

  • At one point at the start of this week, the Dow Jones was down over 1,000 points and the S&P was considered to have fallen into correction territory. 

  • “When market fluctuates and volatility happen, I find that as opportunity to find a great stock with great fundamentals at a great price,” said Robin Ware 

  • All the major indexes finished on a positive note, but they are still down from the start of 2022.

At one point at the start of the week, the Dow Jones was down over 1,000 points and the S&P was considered to have fallen into correction territory. That would be a near 10% drop from its previous high.

Despite those scares, all the major indexes finished on a positive note, but they are still down from the start of 2022.

Some, are using the volatility as an opportunity. An up and down week on the stock market is nothing compared to the weeks that followed Hurricane Katrina in 2005 for Robin Ware.

Ware, who worked for 37 years in the U.S. Postal Service, had plenty of ups and downs in Gulfport, Mississippi to ensure mail would go through following the storm. 

“I was there working with like 700 employees," Ware recalls. "The storm hit, and I had to find them all. And then I had to make sure I brought service back to like 140,000 people."

Now retired, Robin lets her money work, and trusts history as opposed to hitting a panic button with current market trends.

“What I would say is with market volatility is definitely don’t panic," Ware says sitting in front of her computer. "The reason I would say that is for 90 years – I’m talking 1929 to now – the stock market has increased 10% per year on average.”

If you ask Robin about this week in general, she might just characterize it as a hiccup.

“Those little dips, like wars, recessions, oil embargoes, let's say the 2010 tech wreck," Ware begins to explain. "That was scary, but guess what? It's a blip when you look over 90 years of investing.”

As an investor for more than 30 years, Ware has never panicked, but let her money continue to work and to trust history.

“When market fluctuates and volatility happen, I find that as opportunity to find a great stock with great fundamentals at a great price,” Ware says.

While many watch the chaos continue to unfold on Wall Street. Ware doesn’t even blink an eye. This ride is nothing compared to the one she endured in 2005.

The Feds also report that interest rates are going up and will continue to rise through at least March.

If you bought a home in 2021 or were able to refinance, consider yourself lucky says Shahram Sondi, President of Florida Home Funding. Sondi has been helping people with a mortgage for over 20 years.

“End of December, a 30 year fixed 'A' borrower was around 2.875 for example, with out points or buy downs," Sondi begins to explain. "Today they are almost 3.5 to 3.625%. The problem with that is we have had a big jump in the rate in less than a month.”​

Sondi also says the rates should never have been as low as they were last year, but this will really hurt first-time home buyers moving forward.  The reason is because what they may have been pre-approved for just a month ago is likely now not going to qualify, depending on their top dollar amount they were seeking.